For the last few months, I've been closely following the Time Warner Cable/NFL Network dispute. Judging from the latest news, it appears that the two companies have put aside their differences for the college football bowl season.
Earlier this week, NFL Network accepted an offer from Time Warner Cable to provide a "freeview" of the National Football League's cable service on its digital-basic tier in the New York region Dec. 24-30.
According to the Washington Post, Time Warner Cable said last week it would either carry the Texas Bowl on basic cable or the entire free preview on its digital basic. The NFL Network initially balked but changed its mind. Time Warner Cable is currently largest multiple system operator that doesn't carry the channel.
In a prepared statement about the offer, NFL Network communications director Seth Palansky said, "In light of the fact that 75 percent of Time Warner's New York-area customers subscribe to the digital-basic tier, we have concluded that its offer represented the quickest and best way to bring Rutgers' appearance in the Texas Bowl to Time Warner subscribers and to make the freeview a reality."
The Texas Bowl football game between Rutgers and Kansas State is scheduled for Dec. 28. Without the agreement, fans in the area with Time Warner Cable service would not be able to see the Scarlet Knights' first bowl game appearance in the school's history.
"In addition, we have let Time Warner know that if they are interested, we would extend this same freeview to subscribers of Time Warner in affected regions in Kansas and Texas (both states in which state universities are participating in bowl games that NFL Network will telecast) on similar penetration terms," he continued. "However, the New York resolution is not tied to the additional freeview offer in Texas and Kansas."
While this may be a small step toward healing the rift between the NFL and the cable giant, the situation is far from being resolved. The NFL Network is still requiring that the channel be available on the most widely distributed package but Time Warner Cable is holding strong to offer it on a premium sports tier to avoid passing the cost of the network on to its customers.
For more on this development, check out the WP article NFL Network in N.Y. freebie carriage deal.
